I've only gotten to test drive the Move in a demo version of Sports Champions, which comes bundled with the PlayStation Eye and Move controller bundle for $100.
Kinect Sports seemed to have a wider variety of interesting games that display the capabilities of the Kinect. Some carefully timed mini games are a bit challenging though given the lag time I experienced with the Kinect. I had a hard time properly (and foolishly) positioning my hands, feet and body for a goalkeeper mini game for example. Not to brag, but it seems that the Kinect's reaction time wasn't as fast as mine which resulted in a disconnect in the experience.
First off, sorry of the lack of activity on VGF as of late (including the lateness of this particular set of news). I've been focusing my attention in a few different directions as of late and my soon begin to do some writing for Gameinatrix.com which is very exciting.
Super Mario was not always super, or even Mario for that matter. Mario made his first "unofficial" debut in the 1981 classic arcade game Donkey Kong. He didn't jump as high back then, and for whatever reason jumping on things didn't hurt as much after this arcade debut.
Anything and everything relating to Super Mario originated from the classic Super Mario Bros. This is Super Mario in his original, purest and "pixeliest" form. If you listen closely enough, you should be able to hear the classic Super Mario Bros. overworld theme in your head with just a glance of the original Super Mario.
Three years brought a lot of detail to Mario's new look. It's surprising how much more detail the Nintendo could squeeze out of a simple character model. This is the first glimpse of Mario as we know him today.
Again Mario's look changes ever so slightly. In fact, the Super Mario we see in Super Mario Bros. 3 (arguably the best Super Mario title) is not as detailed as in his previous bout. The Mario we see in SMB3 is a bit of a hybrid between the classic Mario in Super Mario Bros. and SMB2.
A new console, a new Mario. The Italian plumber's first and only game on the Super Nintendo brought back a look similar his SMB2 visage. This is also the first time we see a few different shades in his clothing.
After six long years, Mario finally rose again and this time in a new dimension. Super Mario 64 was the first time we could critique Mario on a low-polygonal level and it's quite noticeable now. It was sure great to finally see Mario run and jump in a 3D environment.
After another six years, we finally see the return of Mario with a little hardware this time. Mario's look stays rather consistent albeit in much more detail. I just wish Super Mario Sunshine was a little longer.
Lets speed ahead to the Mario we now know and love. He's not all that different from what we saw in Super Mario Sunshine - probably because the Wii isn't any more powerful graphically than the Nintendo GameCube. Nevertheless, Mario has matured a tad bit from the two-dimensional, pixel-filled hero of yore.
At the risk of sounding or seeming overly sexist there is a reason here. Any Final Fantasy fan could tell you that recent installments of the series have nearly all featured some sort of bubbly and cheerful female character. As you can see they try to evenly space these "girlie girls," but they are near copies of each other and the perfect (and very cheerful) support for your team on the field.
Wide receivers have to be strong, agile and accurate. Final Fantasy villain champion Sephiroth, Final Fantasy VII hero Squall Leonhart and one-third of the Final Fantasy VII love triangle, Tifa Lockhart, represent all three qualities. Indeed, there are other Final Fantasy heroes that could fill this role such as, Firion or the Hero of Light, could easily fill in at times. These particular may have the best chemistry with quarterback Cloud Strife (ok, maybe not Sephiroth). Look for these heroes on the Final Fantasy Football field soaring and crushing defenders.
Quarterback
Kicker
Tight End
Running back
Last night I finally got a chance to view the 2007 documentary "The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters" and I highly recommend the strangely compelling look at competitive realm of arcade gaming.
Word is spanning across the web that recent findings from market research agency, The NPD Group, show the Xbox 360 has overtaken the Nintendo Wii in the number of units sold last month for the first time since 2007.
The Nintendo announced and showcased the Nintendo 3DS, the gaming giant's next iteration into the hand held foray, at Nintendo's E3 2010 press conference (although it was more or less announced earlier this year) to a bonanza of hype.
Every project needs a title even though creators often don't commit to an official title.
However, in the video game industry, often times the "working title" of a console or game often becomes the only title that sticks in the minds of gamers...or the largest retail chain in the world.
A Walmart advertisement in my local Sunday newspaper listed the new Microsoft "Project Natal" as an "revolutionary new way to play" this fall. I'm not sure when the advertisement was pieced together, but the world has known the new motion-controlled camera peripheral for the Xbox 360 as the Kinect for nearly a month now.
Luckily the retailer's website is aware of Microsoft's Kinect and it's $149.54 price tag.
Who could forget that the Nintendo Wii was first called the "Revolution" for several years before it receive its laughable name. Previously there was the Nintendo Ultra 64 (Nintendo 64) and the Nintendo 64DD ("DD" standing for disk drive) which never came to fruition.
Of course every "The Legend of Zelda" game always has a working title of "The Legend of Zelda."
At least Sony conveniently unnamed it's "motion controller" before dubbing it the "PlayStation Move" earlier this year.
Every game has some sort of working title during development since game producers are so eager to show off their software that they don't bother to take the time to name it. A simple google search for working titles in video games gives us "Heroes on the Move," "Silent Hill 8," "Vectorman," "The Shoot," and of course Sony's blockbuster holiday hit "Motion Fighter."
I'm waiting for game to have the "working title" of "working title," that's something that's easy to remember.
A lot of times we are caught using the "working title" of a game or console for so long we have it ingrained in our minds. Project Natal is a clear example of this which is why I still have a hard time calling it the Konact...Conict...Connect...Kinect.
I was a fool for mentioning video games in the first place. I would never express an opinion on a movie I hadn't seen. Yet I declared as an axiom that video games can never be Art. I still believe this, but I should never have said so. Some opinions are best kept to yourself.
I should not have written that entry without being more familiar with the actual experience of video games.
What I was saying is that video games could not in principle be Art. That was a foolish position to take, particularly as it seemed to apply to the entire unseen future of games. This was pointed out to me maybe hundreds of times. How could I disagree? It is quite possible a game could someday be great Art.
It's round three and Sony's last on the list. Lets find out with the home of the PS3 and PSP has in store with the new PlayStation Move. Checkout all of the happenings and reaction below.
Next is the PlayStation Move. As well as know the Playstation Eye and new PlayStation Move controller work together to give one-to-one precession movement. However, Sony - like Nintendo - felt compelled to have game developers tell us why this thing is so great. I love how Sony's big advantage over the Kinect are its buttons.
Overall, Sony's presentation was a little more exciting than Microsoft's, but Nintendo was the outright winner of the year. Sony's 3D strategy is a little suspect considering the outrageous cost by purchasing a 3D Bravia TV just to play game in 3D. That's not going to happen.
Perhaps one of the best games in this generation and one of the greatest puzzle games ever made, Portal, will finally receive an encore this year on the PC, Xbox 360 and PS3. Here's a first look at Portal 2 which isn't due for release until 2011.
Haven't had enough motion controllers yet? Then take a look at Sony's press conference and what's in store with the PlayStation Move.
First up was Call of Duty: Black Ops. We've seen a lot of footage of this one for a while, but this was the time we say gameplay in action. It looks to follow in-step with other games in the franchise. This time look for some fantastic visual detail in the game's jungle settings and what looks to be some exciting gameplay while flying a helicopter. All add-on and multiplayer packs are set to launch first on the Xbox 360 through 2010 although I believe Microsoft has already tied that up until this point anyway. You can expect Call of Duty: Black Ops on the Xbox 360 - and likely the PS3 - on November 11.
The showcase of some of the titles we'll see from the Kinect begins with a little girl playing with a baby tiger named skittles, once and for all showing just how stupid you can potentially look while playing the Kinect in Kinectimals.
Finally, the "new" Xbox 360 was unveiled. It is smaller, quieter and blacker. The new Xbox 360 has a 250 GB hard drive and 802.11 N WiFi built-in making it the fastest wireless console on the market. The new console ships today and should find their way to store shelves by next week with a price tag of $299 unless you were in attendance and received the fancy, external-hard-drive-esque console for free. It looks like rumors are often true at E3.
Microsoft's E3 2010 press conference has been delayed until 1:30 EST. However, you can catch all of the action and news live on VGF below. Look for reactions a little later on:
